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Mega-City One
Established in 2032, Mega-City One was conceived as an answer to the massive overcrowding plaguing the cities of North America. Originally designed to house 350 million citizens, the population of Mega-City One soon swelled to an astounding 800 million people, a number that would remain constant until the city was devastated by the effects of the Atomic Wars - the Great Atom War of 2070 and later the Apocalypse War of 2104, which reduced its population to 400 million people with living space for half that number. Due to a number of other disasters and crises that have affected the city, and a small amount of over seas Immigration to Mega-City One, the population has remained stable in recent years. History Construction of Mega-City One began in 2032 over top of many cities in north-eastern North America and centering around the area surrounding New York City and Philadelphia. In response to over-crowding in the many cities on the continent. The construction of Mega-City One was intended to be a solution to improving the employment and quality of life of its projected population of 350 million citizens. However, due to extensive advertising and perceived job opportunities, migration to Mega-City One caused the population to rapidly outmatch the infrastructure, resulting in housing and crime epidemics that ultimately lead to the forming of the "Judge System" to adequately manage and police the city. However, these problems would only become worse in the aftermath of the Atom War sparked by then US President Robert L. Booth which devasted North America and the rest of the world. Fortunately, Mega-City One was spared total destruction due to experimental laser defense screens that had been built into the city's infrastructure. The devastation that resulted from the Third World War saw the population of Mega-City One rapidly double to approximately 800 million citizens by the year 2099, a population level which remained steady until the Apocalypse War of 2104, a conflict with eastern Sov-Block powers that saw the destruction of over half of Mega-City One as well as the total destruction of The East Meg City of East Meg One. Since the end of the Apocalypse War and the resulting reduction of Mega-City One's population to approximately 400 million people, inability to rebuild due to radiation and several other emergencies have maintained the population density of the city, such as the effects of the incidents that have come to be known as "Necropolis" and the zombie invasion, "Judgement Day", of 2114. Government in Mega-City One When first established, Mega-City One was operated by a municipal government much like that found in real-world cities and towns, but this was shortly replaced by the Judges in order to combat the social problems the city was facing, with the Chief Judge answerable only to the President of the US. However, in the political vacuum left in the wake of the sentencing of President Booth and dissolution of the US Senate in 2071, the Judges are left as the de facto government of both Mega-City One and the United States of America. The Judges, organized into the Justice Department of Mega-City One, are responsible for seeing to the total welfare of the citizens of Mega-City One, overseeing welfare and housing programs as well as collecting taxes, governing businesses, and the necessary duties of policing and sentencing. However, for more mundane and non-essential tasks the Justice Department created and still maintains a municipal council that is lead by the Mayor of Mega-City one. The municipal council of Mega-City One is responsible for such tasks as the daily weather vote held as the Weather Congress. Not much has been covered concerning the Mayor of Mega-City One in the Judge Dredd stories, but perhaps the most popular and well-liked Mayor Mega-City One has had was Mayor Dave the Orangutan, an orangutan who held the office of Mayor from 2104 until he was assassinated in 2107. The Justice Department of Mega-City one has also been faced with several acts of terrorism perpetrated by groups arguing for a restoration of democracy to Mega-City One that ultimately resulted in a referendum on the matter held in 2113 in which the citizens of Mega-City One voted to maintain the dictatorship of the Judges. Geography of Mega-City One The Judges have divided Mega-City One into a number of different zones, each containing a number of sectors, in order to make the city easier to manage: *MegCentral (Sectors 1 - 20) *MegEast (Sectors 21 - 108) *MegSouth (Sectors 109 - 160) *MegWest (Sectors 161 - 240) *MegNorth (Sectors 241 - 300) Seat and most populus Sector of this Zone is the former city of Boston ,Massachusetts. *North-West Hab Zone (Sectors 301 - 305); A small land-mass in Southern Ontario separated from the rest of Mega-City One by "Radlands" on all sides and connected to MegNorth by an elevated Megway. *Sector 44 is home to the Grand Hall of Justice and the Academy of Law. *'The Pit' (Sector 301) is considered the worst sector in the city. Chief Judge McGruder began a program of assigning underperforming or suspect judges to its station under the supervision of Judge Dredd. Those who were considered worthy were returned to regular duties. Life in Mega-City One An unfortunate side-effect of the technological advances that have been made is soaring unemployment, which has lead to a wide variety of passtimes the citizens have invented for themselves, both good and bad. Crime is endemic in Mega-City One, known as the Most Dangerous City in the World, with a serious crime occurring somewhere in Mega-City One every second of every day. Block-wars have been a steady problem for the Judges, often resulting in casualties in the hundreds of thousands of citizens. Block-wars are a form of riot in which two or more neighboring City Blocks (large apartment blocks capable of housing upwards of 50,000 residents each) literally go to war with each other, often initiated by bored CitiDef units of rival blocks. "Crazes" also regularly and briefly sweep the city, often changing by the day. Crazes known to have swept the city in the past have included Syncronized Leaping, PowerBoarding, and Boinging. Some crazes have been known to have an enduring presence in Mega-City One, such as the Fattie craze, or fashion crazes such as Knee and Elbow-Pad wearing. Transportation systems exist in Mega-City One that accomodate every way of travel, from pedestrian to public transit to hover vehicles. Baffling though these different systems may be, each is surprisingly efficient a vast majority of the time, typically becoming troubled only during large-scale emergencies. Attractions and Landmarks Mega-City One has developed a rich history since its establishment, and as such has a wide variety of landmarks and attractions for tourists and citizens alike to visit and enjoy. A brief list of some of these places can be found below: *The Jungle ; Also known as Ape-town, this area was set aside for a small sub-population of genetically modified primates and was, at the time of its unveiling in 2080, a state-of-the-art City Block that was purpose-built for ape usage. Unfortunately, the residents were uninterested in civilization and retained a number of their less than human habits, turning Ape-town into one of the city's worst slums within its first year of existence. Humans are unwelcome, and the Judges leave the apes to their own so long as they stay within the borders. *The Maze ; An abandoned City Block that was rendered uninhabitable by its own design. The interior of the F. Lloyd Mazny Housing Scheme is an ever-changing mess of hallways, pedways, and plazas that only a few people are willing to call home. *Academy of Law ; Located in Sector 44, the Academy of Law is the place where all Cadets begin the long, grueling journey towards becoming full Judges. The largest part of the interior of the Academy is a life-size reproduction of Mega-City One known as the Street-Sim where cadets are able to practice their skills. *Apocalypse Monument ; Located in the exact centre of Mega-City One, this monument is dedicated to the citizens of Mega-City One who lost their lives as a result of the Apocalypse War of 2104. *Grand Hall of Justice; Also located in Sector 44, this is the headquarters of the Justice Department. The Grand Hall has become a tourist attraction in and of itself, surrounded by a variety of memorial plazas, and boasting such attractions within its walls as the Hall of Heroes and The Black Museum. *Smokatorium ; After smoking in public was banned by the Judges as a public health risk, the Smokatorium remains the only place residents of Mega-City One can legally consume tobacco products. The polluted air is sucked into a filter that takes out the impurities before recycling it. *Fergee Memorial Statue ; A statue in the memory of the the hulking hero Fergee who saved Mega city from Cal at the cost of his own life. *Statue of Justice ; A massive statue erected in the name of the Judges. *The White Cliffs of Dover ; Moved to Mega City by a rich eccentric. *Devils Island ; A prison that is near imposible to escape due to its location. *Aggro Dome ; A place where aggressive and violent people could work out their feelings on inanimate objects (or each other, if consensual). *Alien Zoo ; A zoo for unintelligent Aliens. Judge Dredd (1995 film) In the movie, the city is seen as consisting of New York City and adjoining parts of the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In a council meeting Chief Judge Eustace Fargo mentions that the current population of the city (circa 2139) is 65 million people (and growing) crammed into housing designed for 20 million. Dredd 3D (Film - 2012) In this movie the sprawl extends only from Boston to Washington D.C. Judge Dredd says in a voiceover narration at the beginning that the population of the city is 800 million people. Category:City Category:Locations